


affection

by lokh



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-30
Updated: 2016-11-30
Packaged: 2018-09-03 07:16:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8702752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lokh/pseuds/lokh
Summary: in which kageyama asks an innocent question and kenma sees through him immediately





	

“Kozume-san!”

Kenma freezes. Completely unbidden, the words for a prayer he learned as a child come to him, one meant for difficult times when there seems to be no way out. Coincidentally, he’s facing a dead-end wall, his hunched shadow engulfed in a taller one. He could pretend that he can’t hear him – but, his earphones aren’t in. Goddamn it. He can just imagine a smug Kuro telling him that he should be using earphones when he’s playing anyway, when he’s alone or _especially_ with people. Still, his PSP remains lit, a disappointing jingle playing as his character is murdered gruesomely on-screen. Kenma feels that he is about to join him.

There is not another word from the boy behind him, but the daggers piercing the back of his head are motivation enough for him to turn around (as slowly as he can).

“Kageyama.”

To his credit, the boy doesn’t flinch. (This meaning both Kageyama and Kenma. The latter in a much more effortful manner.)

He’s about to ask him what he wants when Kageyama blurts, hands in fists tight against his thighs, “ _What is Kuroo-san’s preferred toss?_ ”

Kenma drops his PSP.

 _That_ gets Kageyama to flinch, but Kenma doesn’t spare even a glance at it. He’s only squatting on the ground, so it’s not as though it bungee-jumped from his palms, and it landed on his bag – the muffled _thump_ testified to that. Kageyama is still sending mildly terrified glances at the fallen console when Kenma finally stands, hands on his knees.

“3, 2, 1—game over!” a tiny voice shouts from the speakers. Kenma stares silently at Kageyama. The other boy wants to look over at the PSP, he can tell, the screen now flashing with replays of the failed battle, but Kenma’s gaze keeps him pinned in place. Kageyama’s chin tips up, defiantly – he probably isn’t aware he’s doing it, Kenma thinks.

He wants to ask _why_ he’d need that information (which he, of course, has), but more than that, he wants to _figure it out himself_. It’s hard to keep prolonged eye contact with such an intense glare, so Kenma’s attention wanders elsewhere. The visible gulp only moments ago. The sweat trailing down his forehead. His chest, heaving – he must have run over, probably immediately after he thought of the idea. His fists are balled so tight they’re almost shaking.

His eyes wander back to Kageyama’s, which snap back instantly. Which means he hadn’t been glaring at him head on the entire time. Kenma has known him for a total of approximately twenty minutes face-to-face, but somehow that seems _extremely uncharacteristic._ The boy isn’t exactly known for his subtlety when it comes to asking for what he wants. He’s asking for something, but he’s not comfortable with _why_ he’s asking. And he’s asking for the toss that Kuro prefers, despite the fact that the training camp was already coming to an end and that they were on opposite teams. He’s asking despite the fact that he’s had little-to-no conversation with Kuro up till now, and has never had any apparent interest in people that aren’t setters. Him, Kageyama, asking, the same Kageyama that has zero interest in things that aren’t volleyball, and outside of volleyball is rather awkward and unskilled.

If Kenma had still been holding his PSP, he would’ve dropped it again. He would’ve dropped it straight onto the concrete and have it explode into millions of little pieces, and he _wouldn’t have even spared a glance_.

He might _not even know why he’s asking._

Kageyama shuffles his runners, scuffing against the pavement. Kenma blinks, hard.

It would probably faster to just tell him what Kuro’s favorite toss is. He’s not the type of person to glean that sort of information just by observing (which is how Kenma had found out), so leaving him to it would probably just be cruel. If he gives him what he wants, then Kageyama will leave immediately, which is what he wants, though he might try to ask a few questions about setting first, which Kenma can probably deal with (read: run away from with minimal awkwardness).

What he says, instead, is, “While Kuro would appreciate it, it’d probably be more romantic if you told him you liked him straight up.”

Kenma decides that this was the best route to take, since he’s able to both put his PSP back in its case and into his bag _and_ slip away quietly due to Kageyama’s spluttering.

(He decides it was _definitely_ the best route when Kageyama takes his advice and confesses to Kuro, right there, while the gym was emptying and he’d caught him alone. By how red Kuro’s face gets, he probably decides it was the best route, too.

Kenma tells Kageyama his preferred toss later anyway.)

**Author's Note:**

> kageyama seems like the kind of person that doesnt know how to show his affection for his crush (esp since he probably doesnt get crushes often) so his first thought is 'if i learn their preferred toss they MUST know i care about them', which is both hilarious and really sad


End file.
